Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department
| Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Annual calls |
69 (2006) 78 (2007) |
| Staffing | 38 |
| Fire chief | Terry Shaffer |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 1 |
| Engines | 1 |
| Trucks | 1 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Website | |
| Shanksville Vol. Fire Dept. | |
The Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department is a volunteer fire department in rural Pennsylvania. It is best known for its response to the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks.
Call Area
The Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department provides fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and various types of rescue, including SCUBA, to the borough of Shanksville, the borough of Indian Lake, and Stonycreek Township. All are located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The fire district is approximately 65 square miles (170 km2) with an approximate population of 3,000. It also provides emergency services for 15 miles (24 km) of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
History
The fire company was formed in February 1951. In September 1951 the company purchased a vacant building to meet and store equipment. The company built a new truck garage and meeting place in 1989.
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
On September 11, 2001, the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the United Airlines Flight 93 crash scene to search for survivors.[1] They found a smoking crater 8 feet (2.4 m) to 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, and 30 feet (9.1 m) to 50 feet (15 m) wide surrounded by burning wreckage of the aircraft.[2] None of the 44 people on board survived.[3] Flight 93 was one of four airliners hijacked that day as part of the al-Qaeda terror attack on the United States. It is widely held that the Flight 93 hijackers intended to use the aircraft to attack the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC.[4]
An assistant chief was one of the first on the scene, within seven or eight minutes. Firefighters from nine other local companies also came to the crash site. [5]
Shanksville Firehouse memorial
New York City fire fighters donated a memorial made from a steel cross from the World Trade Center and mounted atop a platform shaped like the Pentagon.[6] Hundreds of firefighters riding motorcycles escorted the beams from New York City to Shanksville. It was installed outside the firehouse on August 25, 2008.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Long, Cindy (September 13, 2001). "Pennsylvania Disaster Workers Respond to Flight 93 Tragedy". Red Cross. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ↑ "'None of us will ever forget'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2001-09-12. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ Sara, Rimer (2001-09-18). "A Nation Challenged: The Pennsylvania Crash; 44 Victims Are Remembered, and Lauded". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ "Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack the World Has Ever Seen," by Yosri Fouda and Nick Fielding
- ↑ "Gathering in Song and Honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2001-11-20. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ↑ Ganassi, Michelle (2008-08-25). "NY firefighter donating steel to Shanksville". Daily American. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ↑ Gaskell, Stephanie (2008-08-25). "Pa. site of 9/11 crash gets WTC beam". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
External links
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Coordinates: 40°01′04″N 78°54′24″W / 40.01773°N 78.90665°W